When plantain prices hit unprecedented highs, the government decided to import them to try and reduce the price to consumers, but this didn’t last long as reportedly only one of the biggest supermarket chains in Santo Domingo stocked them, as reported in Fresh Plaza.
In the four other major chains, the plantains on sale are locally grown, and are still expensive. The imported ones were supposed to sell to Dominican consumers at between RD$6 and RD$7 per unit but they are actually selling for RD$17 when green and for RD$19 when ripe (in this case, it is not specified whether they come from overseas or from Dominican soil). Meanwhile, some of the other supermarkets are selling them for RD$17, others for RD$18.95 and some for as much as RD$19.95. In Ciudad Ganadera on the 30 de Mayo highway in the capital, where prices are traditionally lower because in some cases the farmers themselves bring their produce for sale, locally grown plantains are available for between RD$10 (smaller) and RD$15 (larger).
On mid-week fresh produce sales days, they can be purchased nevertheless for RD$12 the unit.
Between September and October 2015, the price of a single plantain broke records, reaching between RD$15 and RD$20 and in extreme cases as much as RD$30. Plantains were in short supply and also very expensive. In early October 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture authorized plantain imports as a temporary measure to solve the problem caused by the widespread drought, which strongly affected Dominican banana plantations and consequently reduced supply and pushed up prices. The Ministry announced that fruit and vegetable importers, supermarkets, traders and the Ministry itself would be importing the plantains in the hope of bringing prices down.
At the time, farmers warned that the imported plantains were unlikely to be cheaper and that has proved to be correct.
In addition, although 53 import permits were issued to Grupo Ramos, Bravo, Centro Cuesta Nacional, Casa Calin, ProAgro Dominicana, Importadora Garcia Duran and Comercializadora Reyes del Caribe, only Centro Cuesta Nacional has imported plantains.
Read more: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/151103/Dominican-Rep-Bananas-closed-the-year-at-high-prices
